On the Technical by Tate under 4 min, WVU up by 4, Huggs puts McBride at the FT line to shoot the T’s. McBride …… 66% FT shooter goes to the line to shoot the FT’s. WTF was Huggs thinking? On the floor at the time was Oscar, Derek, Emmitt, Jermaine and Miles. Derek is an 82% FT shooter. Even Oscar shoots it at 69%. Don’t the coaches look at the numbers? Why put your 3rd best FT shooter …… 16% worse than the best shooter on the floor at that time …… at the FT line when the game is on the line? And in due form, Miles misses the front end and drains the 2nd.

Technical fouls can be a little different with nobody standing there with you at the line. Maybe Huggins thought McBride would thrive in that spot. How many other players on the floor have experience shooting technical fouls?

Culver is draining his free throws this year, the others on the floor at the time have been inconsistent. Maybe Huggins wanted to see the point guard in that position show us what he’s got in the clutch?

And McCabe did it again at the end of this game, just like he did at the end of the Wichita State game.
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I understand looking at the percentages. And yes, the coaches obviously do it, and may at the way the game is playing out too. In that regard, Derek played 31 minutes, far more than Miles’ 24 and with much more physical contact. I have to admit I didn’t think this was a strange move. I’m going to pick McBride, McNeil or McCabe every time over DC.

I’d be hard pressed to call on DC for a tech FT. While he is shooting well now history tells us 82% isn’t the entire story.

Beyond that consider the psyche of both. One seems more fragile than the other from my view. The fragile one was having a career game after being benched to start as punishment. Why risk that progress, positive motion?

Build the new kid that certainly looks to be a potential go to player as the season progresses.

If nothing else Huggs plays the psychology of the game as much and potentially as well as any in the game. End of story.

Mex has a point. Huggins’ brash, old school persona leads one to forget the prodigious mental power in that head of his. After all, you don’t end up with those nice Latin phrases after both your undergrad and grad degrees by being challenged mentally.

All of this discussion is well and good. It’s just struck me that with Derek shooting the lights out he’d be given the extra perk. It’s not that he’s just making it at 82%, his stroke at the line is smooth. Man….. what a change from last year. And yes, if McCabe were in the game i’d put it in his hands too. Prepping McBride for the future? Possibly. But we need to win games today too.

That being said …… when Shane hands me a $3.5M contract my opinion will be much more valid. Until then……